Full Breakdown
Reform UK Councillor Resigns After Alleged Racist Social-Media Posts
5/12/2026, 12:48:02 PM
Election Win and Immediate Resignation
Stuart Prior was elected on 9 May 2026 as a Reform UK councillor for Rayleigh West on Essex County Council and for Sweyne Park and Grange on Rochford District Council, receiving 2,404 votes. Within days he announced his resignation from both posts, citing personal reasons. Reform UK confirmed his membership had been revoked.
Party Gains and Vetting Concerns
The election gave Reform UK 53 of 78 seats on Essex County Council, securing overall control. A Hope Not Hate dossier links several newly elected Reform councillors to extremist or racist social-media posts from 2017-2024.
Alleged Extremist Posts
Alleged extremist posts have been identified for several Reform councillors. Prior’s X posts described white people as “the master race,” called Muslims “dirt,” and claimed “There cannot be a genocide against Muslims. It’s only ever self-defence against those rats.” Other Reform councillors – Derek Bullock (Bolton), Jay Leslie Cooper (Bootle West), Nathaniel Menday (Sheffield) and Ben Rowe (Plymouth) – have been linked to posts ranging from calls to shoot people of Pakistani heritage, Holocaust denial, praise for Nazi-era symbols, to urging removal of a mosque.
Official Statements
Reform UK described Prior’s resignation as “personal” and terminated his membership. Essex County Council confirmed the vacancy and said by-elections will be held. Dr Wajid Akhtar of the Muslim Council of Britain called for disqualification of such candidates and urged “urgent accountability.” Hope Not Hate’s Joe Mulhall called the episode a “systematic failure in the party’s vetting.”
Criticism and Opposition
Opposition parties and civil-rights groups warned the rhetoric normalises hate speech. The Liberal Democrats, whose seat Prior took, demanded a review of candidate screening. The Muslim Council of Britain said the language threatens community cohesion and urged stronger safeguards.
Conflicting Reports
Prior denied authoring the posts, saying “That’s not what I would have put down” and “this isn’t me.” No court ruling has verified the material’s authenticity, leaving the claims unproven.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There cannot be a genocide against Muslims. It’s only ever self-defence against those rats.” — Stuart Prior, X post, Oct 2025
- “I don’t agree with him [Adolf Hitler] murdering innocent people. But the Hallocaust [sic] is a hoax. There wasn’t [sic] even 6 million Jews in Europe at the time. Propaganda.” — Jay Leslie Cooper, Facebook post, 2023
- “Whichever group of people built this must have been real visionaries!” — Nathaniel Menday, X post, Jan 2024
- “We call on such candidates to be disqualified, but more importantly, urgent accountability for the rhetoric and policies about Muslims and immigrants in our political parties and public discourse.” — Dr Wajid Akhtar, Muslim Council of Britain, May 2026
What’s Next
Essex County Council and Rochford District Council will schedule by-elections to fill the vacant seats. Reform UK has pledged an internal review of its candidate vetting while opposition parties monitor further disclosures from Hope Not Hate and related watchdogs.
